“Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy”

The Professor Layton series has delighted puzzle and adventure fans for years since its debut on the Nintendo DS, and the latest installment from Level-5 for the 3DS is another fine addition.

“Azran Legacy” concludes the prequel trilogy of games involving Emmy, who had already left the team prior to the beginning of “Curious Village.” Like the past games, the story features many twists and turns involving the ancient civilization and finding out who a mysterious girl named Aurora is after freeing her from frozen ice. Fans who’ve stuck with the story will be satisfied with its conclusion.

Of course, the numerous puzzles are the main draw of the series, and once again there’s a wonderful variety to solve. These include figuring out what comes next in a sequence, math and story problems, and even a sprinkling of some to just plain trick the player. Hint coins can be spent to give clues on each one, and there are plenty to find in the game. There’s no shame in spending them since there are some tough puzzles to solve. I found this collection to include some of the toughest in the series.

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The only downside to “Azran Legacy,” like the other games, is the replayability factor. Once you know the solutions to puzzles, it’s kind of hard to play the game all over again. There are other mini-games, too, like playing dress-up with other characters and rolling a nut around an obstacle course, but they aren’t as exciting. Fortunately, daily downloadable puzzles return to scratch that puzzle-solving itch.

3 stars out of 4

“Super League Football”

Soccer isn’t huge in the United States, but that didn’t stop Zen Studios from creating a pinball table themed around the most popular sport in the world. Players who download Super League Football ($2.99 on consoles and PC and $1.99 on mobile platforms) choose one team from multiple clubs available including Arsenal, Liverpool FC, FC Barcelona, and Real Madrid among others.

According to Zen, they couldn’t allow all teams in one purchase since they have to report revenue to each club, so those wanting more than one need to make additional purchases. There’s really no reason to unless you’re super hardcore into football. The table layout and gameplay are the same, just the art, colors, mascot, anthem and jerseys match the corresponding team chosen.

While the table looks great as usual, it’s a tough one to master. The goal is to win matches during a 10-match season against other teams with varying difficulty. Each game features two halves where you try and score goals in the table’s mini-playing field. Getting up there requires hitting certain shots, and then bashing the ball past pop-up defenders and the goalie. The Pass Meter is important to keep filled, or otherwise the opponents gain control of the ball and can score goals if certain shots aren’t completed in time.

Losing all your balls ends the match early, which has to be started over. It’s difficult making it through a “90-minute” match unscathed, but fortunately, it saves your progress mid-season. Multi-ball, Jackpot and Super Jackpots, and Extra Balls are awarded as well, but there’s so much importance on scoring goals I didn’t feel the urge to go for these bonuses like in other pinball tables. If I was a bigger soccer fan I may have enjoyed this table more.